The latest trailer also offers some idea of the plot, which sees Cruise as the former military policeman turned elusive vigilante – here spurred back into action to track down a sniper responsible for a multiple shooting that is not all it appears to be.

It is also a follow-up to the original trailer for the film which was released in July – and which showed plenty of action but gave less of an insight into the plot.

The film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie – who won a best screenplay Oscar for his work on the 90s classic The Usual Suspects – is based on the novel One Shot by British writer Lee Child, one of a series of books by the author which feature the character.

The character was created by author Lee Child and appears in a series of novels (Picture: Paramount)

However the casting of Cruise has attracted some criticism from fans of the novels, suggesting that physically he does not match the book’s description of the character – who is said to be 6ft 5in and have a 50 inch chest.

Jack Reacher also stars director Werner Herzog as a Russian gang leader who may hold clues to the identity of the sniper, while the film also stars Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins and Robert Duvall.

It will be released in the US on December 21 and on December 28 in the UK.